Kondoing this and kondoing that - thread 4 for Marie Kondo's lifechanging magic with tidying. All welcome!

[TheSporkforeatingkyriarchy]

Here's thread 4 for all the KonMario converts, wannabes, and guests to the magic!

Thread 3

Hi to everyone who posted whilst I was writing my essay response to Lockie! Not ignoring you just crossed posts

Where do you all keep your dirty washing? I have a washing basket by the machine, downstairs, next to the bathroom. My clothes end up in a heap, by my bedroom door until they are taken to the basket onwashingdayFriday, every couple of days but this method doesn't bring me joy. However, I don't think I want a washing basket in my room. Maybe when this process is a bit further along I'll instinctively want to keep everything nice and will take my clothes to the machine more often . I have a lot of work to do!!!!

Also, I have the opportunity to spend the day shopping, child free, in a nearby city on Friday but have decided to spend the day kondoing instead

Cm toys are on my hit list tomorrow! I have a houseful of pre-schoolers and plan to let them loose on everything so I can get an idea of what they really play with. I'm considering a rotation system but would rather just have less.

I listed a few bits of baby equipment on eBay over the weekend so hopefully, it'll be gone in the next couple of weeks.

Hiccup - my development officer recommended a rotation system but I couldn't make it work! I realise I am lucky that all mine are similar age which makes a massive difference! And will be closing the business once DS is at preschool in 18 months as I am fed up with all the aggro minding appears to bring into my personal life (currently have a non payer but that's a different thread entirely!!). So I will run with how I am now working and just buy the odd developmental toy as and when needed.

Wash baskets - one on each landing as bedrooms and bathrooms are over two floors and a fabric one to use to take load for washing up and downstairs. I have the added bonus pain in the arse that washing machine is outside in the garage .

Kondoing is addictive and have still found myself sorting small areas whilst being poorly. I had a rare kid free morning on Saturday and sorted the office from top to bottom in three hours, I was tempted to go shopping but instead have a nice sparkly tidy office and I saved myself some money and didn't buy anymore crap to have to find a home for, win win!!

I've stalled with my clothes - FREEEEZING in my bedroom! No frost forecast for tonight, so I may be able to finish kondoing the clothes that fit, and I wear, tomorrow. The clothes I need to try on, will have to wait until it gets a bit warmer!

NEVER kondo toys that your Dcs really (apparently) get joy from... I threw out my toddler daughter's toy rabbit, which was scruffy and coarse nylon, in the 1970s... 30 years later, she told me that she had been heartbroken! So I immediately bought her a new kitten-soft one, out of mortification!

I think I shall have to start doing some kondoing in the living-room (the only warmish room,) because my mojo feels as if it is waning! So, it could be some of my books, knitting yarn, and/or (ugh) papers. Oooo! I can feel the mojo waking up again!

I did buy a classic top and some new cosy bootee slippers in La Redoute's online sale tonight - real bargains and good quality. I'm as tight as a duck's proverbial when it comes to buying clothes, so I'm rather pleased with myself. Sadly, I didn't manage to kondo the postage, as the nearest Parcel Shop is 15 miles away.

My old slippers went on the 27 December (Yay!) and I shall dump another top tomorrow, or even two.

Well done to everyone who is toiling away - you are doing SO well!

Hi everyone. Another lurker here. I ploughed through all the threads over Christmas and have so far kondo ed my clothes, dc clothes, bedding (nor as meat as I'd like as I'm still trying to master folding fitted sheets!). I have also done most of the kitchen while I've had spare time waiting for kettle etc. I am part way through papers which is my weak spot. Do I really need every receipt and mot certificate for my car bought in 2004?! I was thinking of typing a list of work done a d costs then bi ming it all. I ha e managed to part with my old calendar collection from 2006. I always kept it thinking I may want to refer back to when something happened yet this process has made me realise I don't need dates, memories are enough.
One thing I wanted to ask about was cd and dvd storage. Do and I are very out of date. We don't have Ipads or similar so still actually load cos to play. I know we are not meant to buy storage but I've seen some great disc storage systems which would really free up a lots of space until we catch up with modern life! Is this allowed?!
I really am addicted to this and feel so much calmer and more organised already. Can't wait until it is all done!
Well done everyone and thanks for the posts and pics.it really helps with motivation.

Sorry that was a tome.should have kondoed it

Iqueen - I was mortified for years as I thought my mother had thrown away my childhood teddy! The stitched up one with the wonky eyes! Turned out she actually gave it to me when I moved out 10 years ago and it turned up last week when kondoing a box I shoved in a cupboard when I moved again 6 years ago!! She did however get rid of another set of toys - DD has recently taken an interest in these old cartoons which has resparked some nostalgia so I have purchased said original toys from a seller on eBay with some of my Christmas cash! Totally unecessary but I cried when my package arrived last week - soooooooo much joy and they are nicely displayed on my bedside table when DD isn't playing with them. Can't say what they are as it would completely out me but they are sooooooo cute!!!

Well I'm afraid I have fallen off the ok doing wagon a little, having had to work away, but going away was made much easier by having thing organised, no guilt or rushing around trying to tidy before leaving.

Cupboards have stayed tidy and organised, everything used to be a complete jumble, only thing is DP doesn't put the stuff in the right places! I have the IKEA cupboard shelves, which are brill, but love that baking tray thingy in the photo, mine are stacked on top, but would be better 'filed'.

Took the decorations down, threw out a lot of old, broken things, sad, but they are not used, just stored each year, I now have one less box to store and a spare box to use elsewhere. I also found an ice cream tub with the decorations, that is perfect for the pens in my kitchen drawer - what is it she says about finding the right thing?!

For those worryng about doing stuff in the wrong order, I have done clothes, but then sort of detoured into areas like bathroom, living room/DVD cupboard, kitchen etc., I have one cabinet in the kitchen and one drawer left, which in am building up to. I do find the thinking about it is worse than the actual tackling it.

Photos of my cupboards so you can see the racks, hope it doesn't 'out' me, lots of people visit and use all the mugs!

The saucepans are in the dishwasher as I speak, but they have lids on and stack. The food cupboard has been done for several weeks, but remains organised. I used to open it and things fell out!

If you do recognise me, don't say anything, I would rather not know!!

You're all doing brilliantly! I'm still on clothes and have a lot more to do, but think I'll wrap up in the next couple of days and move on to books, once I've got through the mountain (I kid you not) of unmatched socks.

I'd still like to sort by type & colour, but want to keep the momentum up before I run out of steam.

I've tried to post an after picture of one of my drawers but not sure if this'll work...

The Salvation Army mobile clothes bank is almost full, and I have the feeling it's mostly my doing! I'd better phone them tomorrow to see if they'll empty it. I'm reducing my eBay pile. I hate eBaying, and I know the stuff will either get absorbed back into my wardrobe, or it it will sit on my bedroom floor in binbags for months on end.

inadaydream I'm so happy for you and your DD! Glad you managed to replace those toys and found your teddy. My sister still has hers - 60 odd years after getting it! My own was ditched when I left home.

I'm not a soft-toy person, but I share my bed with the two favouites of my youngest two children - Teddy One (who had to be 'retired' as too frail, furless, after constant fondling, and replaced by Teddy Two, for the last few years of my youngest daughter's childhood) and Teddy Long-Legs, my youngest son's! I didn't make the same mistake again!

Mothers! Big softies, aren't we?

I'm a CM too :) Just three days a week. I've got all the toys sorted into plastic bins and I'm storing them on my bookcase for now. My parents are going to come in a week and my dad's going to put doors like these on the case for me...I can't wait! I have real issues with a lot of visual clutter. It's like my brain doesn't know what to look at and it makes me feel disoriented.

I feel like I've been working all day and barely made a dent, but DH got home from work and said there was a big difference so that's good.

I just want to be able to fling my door open whenever visitors pop by unexpectedly. That's my goal! I love people and wouldn't mind entertaining with no notice if my house didn't look so terrible all the time.

To clarify it doesn't look terrible when the mindees are here! :o But I have so much stuff it's like I just shove it out of sight and it looks fine for awhile, but it's still there...lurking...

Friend came today to do some lifting for me. Loads and loads of stuff moved into the garage which I know I won't need until after baby/house moving, tonnes of boxes I've been filling have finally been moved even though I can't do any lifting myself, and I suddenly have loads more space in my flat! Plus he got me some big cardboard boxes from a supermarket so now I have space to do loads more.

I know I'm supposed to be throwing things out instead of moving things into storage but because of impending baby, house move and various other things I just can't be sure of what I'll need in 6 months time, so I'm counting the things in the garage as dealt with for now, much as Marie K herself would hate me*. When I've got used to living with less clutter I can see that a lot of the stuff in those boxes is going to be got rid of when I open them again. I just can't tell exactly which when I don't know what will fit me or be needed in the new house!

HiccupHaddockHorrendous I've finally started keeping a washing basket next to my bed, i.e. collecting the stuff in the place where I discard it on the floor, rather than near where it is going to end up (washing machine, other end of the flat). Don't know why I didn't do this before, my previous storage solution was to leave it all lying on the floor in front of the washing machine until I had a full load, by which time I couldn't move in the kitchen, and then I'd discover that there were a couple of loads so I couldn't even wash it all at once because there were loads more clothes still on the bedroom floor. The new method is working really well, and I'm actually getting joy from the washing basket itself which I found in the street years ago and have never used for something where I can see it and enjoy it before.

*Honestly though, does anyone else think Marie herself sounds like she'd be a nightmare in real life? What can she possibly have left in her own room by chapter three that she can still look at and be so unhappy that it's cluttered and doesn't bring her joy? I think I'd be a bit embarrassed if my child kept asking to clean the stationary cupboard at school breaktimes instead of playing in the playground! And don't you think her siblings must have been going round the house all day deliberately messing up all the drawers and cupboards just to annoy her?

I have now kondoed:

My underwear & socks
All tops that aren't hung up
DDs tops and dresses
My exercise clothing & nightwear
My make up

Next up is
The rest of mine & DDs clothes
Then books
Then toys
Then linen

Things do look tidier and it has been much easier to get dressed for work these last couple of days.

Sadly I'm having to stop kondoing for a few days in order to clean . I'd much rather finish my decluttering however I have to tart the house up a bit - touching up the paintwork, cleaning the floors throughout, putting stuff back that's been pulled out. We have visitors coming.

Thanks for the toy advice everyone! daydream the tatty old book is staying! it brings him too much joy not too. But I think the new one from Christmas is too young for him as he's bored with it already so straight out after only two weeks ...

violet those visitors eh? Bleugh. Still, if you're anything like me, half the point of all of this is so I don't have to clean / sort / reorganise the front of my cupboards so I don't look like hoarders anonymous every time someone comes to stay.

We have 2 washing hampers in our bedroom one for darks and one smaller one for lights. They are attractive and it is easy to see when there is enough for a load. Even my toddler is getting good at putting his clothes in them at bedtime.

For those of you wondering what to do with washing, why don't you put it straight in the washing machine ready to go and have a laundry basket for lights? As long as the machine is dry it will be fine.

Ringing and Iron I am in awe of those pictures- such organisation!

Today I am going to kondo towels and bedding however I need to avoid making too much mess as waiting in for plumber and don't want him to arrive and think why does this bonkers woman have a livingroom floor covered in bedding and towels?!

Also need to look at kids craft stuff. We only really need one good set of pencils, crayons etc but we seem to have millions of them taking over. Was going to get an old Tupperware and make a little "car kit" of pencils and colouring book to keep in the car for long journeys.

Any idea what I can do with old bed linen? Don't want to just dump it on the charity shops unless they will really get use of it.

I am going to start on linen too, I have some lovely cotton sheets and pretty pillowcases that were my Grandmas, some are embroidered. They don't fit my beds and we use duvets, but I don't feel I can let it go. I used to use it but not for the last 15 years!

I also have big sets of lined curtains from my MILs house after she died, the fabric is beautiful, I suppose I kept them because I thought I may make something one day, but I won't, I haven't for 10 years! Far to heavy to ebay, would a 'chazza' (I am so up to date with the lingo!) take them? Or has anyone suggestions.

What do you do with older duvet cover?, I i don't think chazza would want them, I haven't seen any rag bins.

As you can see, I am not working in the correct MK order! [shocked]

For washing I have 3 of these. They're not smart or posh (but I think neutral enough to be non-offensive and are cheap), but:

• they're big enough to hold 1 load, so when they're full you know to do a wash.
• they're not so big that they're hard to carry round the house, or outside to hang washing outside.
• having 3 means there's always enough to have spares, so 1 to unload the wet washing from the machine, 1 to collect the dry washing off the line and 1 with dirty washing to put into the machine.
• they stack neatly when they aren't all in use.
• they're a good size to fold clean/dry washing into, so nothing creases and then I can just go round the bedrooms unloading the folded washing into the drawers.

I used to have much fancier baskets with lids etc, but nothing worked as well as these multi-purpose ones.

Ringing

can you make cushion covers with the curtains ?